Children's Home run by Care Perspectives Ltd in Walsall

Inspection report children’s home: 1263977 1 Registered provider: Care Perspectives Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private home provides specialist care for up to eight young people who have mental health and/or behavioural issues. The home was registered in December 2017. The registered manager is experienced in residential care and qualified at level 5.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 10 to 11 September 2019 Overall experiences and progress of children and young people, taking into account good

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Information about this children’s home

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Information about this children’s home

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Information about this children’s home

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1263977 2

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(2)(a)(i)) 31/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(3)(d)) 31/11/2019

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Recommendations

 A child’s bedroom should not generally be entered without their permission, though it may be necessary to establish routines to allow for rooms to be cleaned regularly. Usually, rooms should only be searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  Staff must help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework,

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Recommendations

budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see Inspection report children’s home: 1263977 3 the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good-quality care from staff who look after them well and help them to develop. One young person stated, ‘I have learned a lot from being here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to keep in touch with important members of their families. This helps young people to develop relationships with those who could support them after they leave the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, staff support young people to make progress in their education. Despite some initial delays, all young people now attend college or school, or have a tutor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Planning for young people is generally good. Staff produce detailed care and support plans which are regularly reviewed with young people. This means that young people receive consistent care. However, some young people’s health plans are not always clear. They do not show how staff should meet some aspects of young people’s health needs. A clinical psychologist is now working with staff to develop these plans. This work has also resulted in improved relationships between health and care staff. Subsequently, all staff now have access to a range of different assessments and can consider the best way to work with the young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers quickly respond to young people’s complaints and the young people receive feedback on the issues that they raise. However, records of young people’s meetings do not always show the discussions that take place between young people and staff. Consequently, they do not evidence that the registered manager has considered the points raised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to learn some independence skills. However, this work is not always captured in written documentation. This is a missed opportunity to accurately record young people’s progress in this area.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand the risks and potential hazards for each young person and follow risk management strategies to promote young people’s safety and well-being. Inspection report children’s home: 1263977 4 Young people live in a safe and secure environment. Managers and staff ensure that effective health and safety systems are in place. Regular fire drills help to ensure that young people know how to exit the building safely and quickly in the event of an emergency.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff respond swiftly to any safeguarding concerns, working with other professionals when necessary. Staff work directly with young people to help them to understand potential risks and support them to make positive choices.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff take appropriate action when young people go missing, following procedures agreed with the local police. Strategy meetings take place when necessary. These help staff to consider how young people can be best protected.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff manage young people’s behaviour well. Staff use physical restraint only as a last resort, utilising effective de-escalation techniques instead. The registered manager evaluates incidents well and ensures that reflective work is completed with young people and staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Some young people’s rooms are searched on a regular basis rather than as a response to specific concerns about their safety. This may have an impact on young people’s sense of privacy.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Managers ensure that staff are vetted prior to working in the home. These processes are generally well completed. However, the management team does not always assess applicants’ previous employment history fully. This is an area that requires improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced and appropriately qualified registered manager has managed the home since it opened in October 2017.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager monitors the care provided within the home well. She uses both independent assessments and development plans to help improve the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff team have positive relationships with a wide range of other professionals. The registered manager challenges those that do not provide a good service, to make sure that young people receive the support that they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported by the management team. They receive regular supervisions and appraisals. These help staff to develop their practice and understand the way that the staff team works together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is appropriately staffed. Staff have a variety of experience and qualifications. Staff meetings are held regularly and are used to discuss the support that young people receive and the way that staff can best work together. This helps to make sure that young people receive consistent care. Inspection report children’s home: 1263977 5 Staff attend a wide range of training courses to ensure that they are able to meet the needs of the young people. However, equality and diversity do not form part of the regular training programme. This could have an impact on staff’s understanding or confidence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has addressed the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection. Arrangements for young people’s education have improved, as have behaviour management records. A new policy relating to the admission of young people who are not ‘looked after’ has been completed. The independent visitor now makes sure that a range of professionals and parents are spoken to at each visit. These improvements have helped to develop the service and improve the quality of care that young people receive.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1263977 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Perspectives Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 18 Frederick Street, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3BJ

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Inspectors

Andrew Hewston, social care inspector Dave Carrigan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1263977 7 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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